Page 83 of Bonds of Magic
“Yeah, but they’re paranormal.”
“So?” I glared at her. “What’s your problem with paranormal people anyway? What did they ever do to you?”
“It’s not about what they did, it’s about what they might do. Statistically speaking, there’s a greater chance of violence from paranormal beings than there is from witches, or even mundane humans.”
“Right. Because you’re the czar of statistics all of a sudden.”
“It’s true. Do you have any idea how vulnerable humanity is to paranormal beings? None of them are native to this world. Every single one of them came here from someone else, and they take advantage of humans. Harm them. Kill them. Witches are the only people who can stand in their way and stop them.”
“Really? What about shifters? What about vampires? I know Vesperwood has some of them, and as far as I know, they didn’t migrate here from the moon.”
“Maybe.” Rekha shrugged. “No one’s really sure where vampirism came from. But once you’re bitten, you’re not ahuman anymore. You can’t call yourself that while you drink human blood.”
“Aren’t there historical examples of cultures where—”
“And shifters,” she interrupted before I could finish my sentence, “aren’t really human either. Again, no one knows where the first shifters came from, but their biology is different enough from mundane humans to be considered to be separate species.”
“Who gives a shit what their biology is? I don’t care if someone’s technically the same species as me. I care about how they act. How they treat people. And Ash and Felix are nicer than I’ve ever seen you be.”
“I don’t have time to be nice when there are real threats out there. And I don’t care about your friends being statistical anomalies. Humanity is in danger. Threats against Earth have been growing, quietly but steadily, for decades now. It might not look like it, but the world will be at a tipping point soon.” Her voice had gotten steadily stronger, and now she was looking at me with an intensity that bordered on fanatical. “All I care about is being the best witch I can be so that I can stand in the breach and help people.”
“Oh, come on,” I scoffed.
Rekha might believe what she was saying, but that didn’t make her right. Besides, where did she get off, acting like she knew so much about what wasreallyhappening in the world?
“You make it sound like you’re a thousand years old, tracking these threats. You’re a teenager. Like me. Like all of us. You’re not some battle-scarred war veteran. You don’t get to use that asan excuse to be prejudiced against people who’ve done you no harm.”
“Done me no harm?” Her voice rose an octave. “Does a vampire clan killing half my town count as doing no harm? Does the war between shifters that claimed my aunt’s life count as no harm? Does nephilim murdering my father count asno harm? Or would you like me to wait another five years to see who else around me dies at the hands of paranormal creatures and get back to you with more evidence?”
My mouth dropped open. Whatever I’d expected her to say, it wasn’t that.
“I’m sorry,” I said softly. And I was. What she’d been through was awful. “I didn’t know.”
“Well, obviously.” She rolled her eyes. “I’m not going to go around bragging about my weaknesses. I’m not giving paranormals any more ammunition to hurt me or the people I love.”
“So why are you telling me?”
“Because I’m trying to convince you that you’re wasting your time.” She sounded almost desperate. “My family has been fighting paranormal threats for generations. Wehavetracked their growth over time. And we need every witch we can get to protect humanity.”
She crossed her arms and frowned. “Look, maybe your friends are miraculously, improbably innocent and would never dream of hurting humans. Maybe they’re the exceptions that prove the rule. But a time is going to come when you’re going to have to choose between them and humanity, and I just hope you choose right.”
I suppressed a shudder. I hadn’t known magic existed before I came to Vesperwood. I had no idea there were years of conflict between witches and paranormal beings. I definitely didn’t want to get caught up in it.
But I was only half human. The other half of me was an incubus. And I knew what Rekha would think about me, if she knew the truth.
It shouldn’t have bothered me. It wasn’t like I wanted to be her friend. She was rude to everyone, but especially mean to my friends. I didn’t care what she thought of me.
Still… What she’d said about her family—about her father—couldn’t help evoking some sympathy. I couldn’t imagine what that would be like, losing so many people you cared about.
At least she grieves for her father, whispered the voice in the back of my mind.At least she’s not glad he’s gone.
“I’m sorry,” I said again, pushing that little voice to the side. “I think you’re wrong about Ash and Felix. I think you’re wrong in general. But I lost my dad when I was young too. I know how much that hurts.”
It was the right thing to say, even if I didn’t actually know what she was going through. Her dad had died in an attack. Mine had died in an accident. And I doubted she felt set free when her dad died.
Rekha nodded. “Yeah. Thanks.”
“So is that why you came to Vesperwood?” I asked. “To recruit people to join your…cause, or whatever?”
